Blue Skies

Span the world with friendship

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

We held a News Circle and wrote down who planned to do a turn in the Merrymoot.
Magnus had been to a posh house in the country; Flora is preparing for a Tudor Banquet at school; Pip has broken through a level in Harry Potter wii; Rafiq has a skylander Voodoo character from the car boot sale; Jeff watched The Snowman; Matilda is learning about Russia and went to a Russian shop on the Cowley Road where she chose a Russian biscuit; Rana did the Christmas cards; Rayan had a tooth fall out; Izzy has a new tooth coming through; Lena was in a Nativity show; Millie's rabbit has died; Debbie enjoyed Hill End bush craft; Xanthe is learning the flute; Tegan will be taking her first break from Woodies in seven years - to have her first baby; Connie went to Oxford Spires to rehearse a performance; Millie-Maye went to Xanthe's house and Iona made her stroke a cat; Tessa is looking forwards to a second, family, Christmas in Dorchester on the 27th; Iona's birthday is on Friday; Tim cut his finger whilst whittling
a model Tudor pig sty.

People needed a little while to rehearse;

then we played Snakes in the Pit.

Nia and Magnus performed the now traditional Shout Quanong the loudest competition: Xanthe was the loudest, though strong competition from Pip and Molly.

Flora played We wish you a merry christmas on the clarinet.

Pip, with volunteers Magnus, Nia and Rafiq, did a performance.

Matilda played Church Oreo on the piano.

Matilda, Lena, Izzy and Rayan sang Jingle Bells.

Tim played When the Saints Come Marching In on the Chalumaux.

Xanthe and Iona played Jingle Bells on the flute and piano.

Molly sang We three Kings accompanied by Xanthe on the piano.

Tessa and Iona performed a play with talking model animals, which ended when all the cast were dead.

Yearly Attendance Chart

Monday, 9 December 2013

We played a few games whilst people arrived, as Tegan was going to be late.

We held a News Circle: Matilda has chosen and decorated her Christmas Tree; Lena has hers, with flashing lights; Izzy had a friend around; Xanthe went to a ballet show on Sunday; Millie-Maye has her winter hat and scarf down from the loft; Erica was in the Big Christmas Sing which was on the front page of the Oxford Times; Iona has a sore throat and her sister had a bad cold; this is the last session of the term for Dylan and Ivo as they have a Christmas Play at school next week; Joe had a show today and has one next Tuesday; Ivo found a toy in a charity shop; Rana is glad that Rayan can go to swimming again as her broken arm is mended; Rayan is looking forwards to her birthday in January; Rafiq found a toy at a car boot sale; Pip found out he is going to get Skylander stuff for Christmas; Debbie's birthday is tomorrow; Debbie is taking Millie and some friends to do woodcraft skills at Hill End; Connie went skating at the ice rink; Molly has decorated her tree; Jay has his second wobbly tooth; Tim has been making a Tudor Pigsty with Flora and has a pussey, infected finger; Tegan has been to a parenting class.

We split into our groups to rehearse.

The first group had the Mouse Deer betting the tiger that he could win a race, through a rigged course, so saving the elephant.

The second group introduced more tigers, so the tigers were more interested in fighting than eating the elephant.

The third group suggested that they all eat bananas.

Tegan told us how the story ended in the book: the mouse deer glued herself to the elephants back with treacle and told the elephant to pretend to be very frightened and in pain when they met the tiger.
The tiger heard the deer say "this elephant isn't enough, I want to eat tiger next" so ran away.
The tiger met the elder monkey and told him what he had seen. The monkey said it was just the mouse deer up to his tricks, and suggested they go back and check. When they arrived the deer said "Monkey I told you to get me two tigers to eat, why have you only brought one?" so the tiger became very cross with the monkey. This is why the monkey lives in the trees, the elephant and the tiger are not friends but the elephant and the mouse deer are.

We had just enough time for a game of Four Corners.

We held out Closing Circle, singing Happy Birthday to Millie and our Closing Song.

Tuesday, 3 December 2013

We held out News Circle: Dylan is starting latin next term; Ivo made a rainstick for his Rainforest project; Tessa's brother is coming back from Edinburgh; Iona went to the Winter Fair and has 18 days until her birthday; Xanthe went to the Winter Fair and showed us some of the things she bought; Erica joined us for the first time, she had been to the Winter Fair; Millie has a birthday in eight days and showed an illuminated Christmas decoration she had made at art club; Debbie is looking for her Christmas tree; Lena stayed up until half past ten at the neighbour's party; Rayan went to a Christmas show; Matilda went to the first of her two Thanksgiving parties; Pip has a blocked throat and a toy called Rocky; Tegan had an injection in her bottom as she is pregnant and rhesus negative; Connie has lego all over her bedroom floor; Millie-Maye went to the Winter Fair and bought a dressing gown; Rafiq got a dalmatian onesie on his sister's birthday; Joe went to his School Fete on Saturday; Tim is making a Tudor model.

Tegan read us the first part of a Malaysian folk tale, we had to think of an ending
for our drama.

We decided to play Linked Disease, Tessa explained he rules.

We split into groups to rehearse the story so far and think of an ending.

An Elephant and a Tiger were walking in the forest when they were taunted by a monkey in a tree.
The elephant bet the tiger that he could trumpet the monkey down, the tiger said he could and would eat the elephant if he won.
The elephant tried but the monkey only laughed. When he tiger roared the monkey fell from the tree in fright but the tiger said he wouldn't eat him because he could now eat the elephant instead.
The elephant was very sad and begged to go and tell his family. The tiger agreed as long as the elephant returned in a week.
On his way home the elephant was discovered by the mouse deer who asked what was the matter.
When the elephant told him the mouse deer said not to worry as he would sort out the tiger ....

My group's continuation:

The mouse deer found the tiger and bet him that he could beat him in a race. The tiger laughed and said that if he could he could have anything he liked. They agreed that the monkey should lay the course,
which he did but through very dense jungle. When they raced the tiny mouse deer won as he could squeeze through.
"Now I ask for the life of my friend the elephant" said the mouse deer.